Joseph R. Walker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joseph Rutherford Walker
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Joseph Walker circa 1860-1865 by Mathew Brady
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| Born | December 13, 1798 |
| Died | October 27, 1876 (aged 77) Manzanita Ranch, Contra Costa County, California
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| Other names | Joseph Reddford Walker, Joseph Reddeford Walker, Joseph Redeford Walker |
| Occupation | Explorer; mountain man; scout |
Joseph R. Walker (born December 13, 1798 – died October 27, 1876) was a famous mountain man and skilled scout in the American West. A mountain man was an explorer and fur trapper who lived in the wilderness. Scouts were guides who knew the land very well. Walker helped create an important part of the California Trail. This trail was the main path for people traveling to the gold fields during the California gold rush. He guided travelers from Fort Hall, Idaho to the Truckee River. The Walker River and Walker Lake in Nevada are named after him. These names were given by the explorer John C. Frémont.
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Who Was Joseph R. Walker?
Joseph R. Walker's middle initial "R" stood for Rutherford. This name came from his great-grandmother's family line. He was also sometimes known as Reddford, Reddeford, or Redeford.
His Early Years and Adventures
Walker was born in Roane County, Tennessee. He was the fourth of seven children born to Joseph and Susan Willis Walker. In 1819, his family moved to Missouri, settling west of Fort Osage.
In 1820, Walker traveled to Santa Fe. Spanish officials held him for a short time there. He might have become one of the "Taos trappers," catching beaver in the Spanish/Mexican territory of Alta California. He also worked on the Santa Fe Trail from Missouri to Santa Fe with "Old" Bill Williams. Walker returned to Missouri and became the sheriff of Jackson County in 1827.
Exploring the American Frontier
In 1830, Walker was moving horses to Fort Gibson in Oklahoma. There, he met Benjamin Bonneville. Walker wanted to explore the American frontier, and Bonneville offered him a chance to join his expeditions. In 1832, Walker left Fort Osage with Bonneville and 110 other men. They traveled to the Green River in Wyoming.
Discovering Routes to California
First Journey to California (1833)
In 1833, Bonneville put Walker in charge of a group of men. This group included Old Bill Williams and Zenas Leonard. Their mission was to explore the Great Salt Lake and find a land route to California. They started on July 27 and eventually found a path along the Humboldt River across what is now Nevada.
They followed the river to the Humboldt Sink. Then they made their way to present-day Genoa, Nevada, at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains. They began climbing the Sierra by going up the west fork of the Carson River to Hawkins Peak. After some searching for a path, they reached the headwaters of the Stanislaus River. They followed it down to the Central Valley of California. Walker's gravestone says he camped in Yosemite on November 13, 1833, though this is debated. This route through the Sierra Nevada later became known as the California Trail. It was the main path for people heading to the gold fields during the California gold rush.
Returning from California (1834)
On February 14, 1834, Walker and his group of fifty-two men started their return trip from California. They crossed back over the Sierra Nevada through one of the southern passes. The group reached Owens Valley on May 1, 1834. They traveled north through the valley but soon wanted to turn east. They left the valley on May 10 but quickly worried about the lack of water. They went back west to the base of the Sierra and traveled north to the Humboldt Sink. From there, they returned to the Rocky Mountains the same way they had come the previous summer.
Walker later married a Shoshone woman.
Crossing the Great Basin (1840)
In 1840, Walker and his followers made the first known north-to-south crossing of the eastern Great Basin by Americans. They started from Browns Park along the Green River. Walker and his men crossed the Wasatch Range to the Sevier Lake. They traveled south to the upper Virgin River, which they followed to its meeting point with the Colorado River. From the Colorado, they crossed the Mojave Desert to Los Angeles. There, Walker sold beaver pelts and bought horses. He left California with many mares and mules.
Guiding Emigrants West
The Chiles-Walker Expedition (1843)
After traveling to California in 1841, Joseph B. Chiles returned to Missouri. He then organized the first wagon train of people heading to California in 1843. At Fort Laramie, Chiles hired Walker to guide the wagon train for $300. In August, at Black's Fork of the Green River, the group rested and hunted. They tried to gather dried meat for the journey.
They were not very successful and could only get four cattle at Fort Hall. Walker and Chiles decided to split the group to make the best use of their remaining food. After leaving Fort Hall on September 16, Chiles took 13 men on horseback to Fort Boise for more supplies. If food was not available, he was to cross the Sierra Nevada near the Truckee River. He would then go to Sutter's Fort for food and bring it back across the Sierra to Humboldt Sink. Walker and the wagon train would be waiting there. Once reunited, they planned to go south through the Owens Valley. They would follow the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada to a southern pass, possibly Oak Creek Pass. Walker believed wagons could cross there.
Chiles's group could not get supplies at Fort Boise. They went far north around the Sierra Nevada instead of crossing at the Truckee River. Chiles reached Sutter's Fort on November 11. Walker's group left the Humboldt Sink around November 1. They traded horseshoe nails for fish with the Paiute people at what would later be called Walker Lake. Perhaps because there wasn't enough grass for the animals (it was a dry year), the animals could not pull the wagons past Owens Lake. The wagons were left behind there, along with a disassembled saw mill. The group continued on horseback and crossed Walker Pass into the San Joaquin Valley on December 3, 1843. They then went northward, crossed the Coast Range, and spent the winter in Peachtree Valley. This valley was on the headwaters of a river that flowed into the Salinas River. This journey helped establish about 500 miles of what became the California Trail. This part of the trail stretched from Fort Hall (Idaho) to the Truckee River (Nevada and California).
Scouting with John C. Frémont
After the expedition ended, Walker again showed his passport to the authorities. He was given permission to trade. As before, he left southern California with a herd of horses and mules in April 1844. He traveled along the Old Spanish Trail. He caught up with John C. Frémont's third military expedition somewhere beyond Las Vegas. The two men had met before in 1842 in Independence, Missouri. At that time, Walker had declined Frémont's invitation to guide the expedition. Walker's group traveled with Frémont to Bent's Fort in Colorado. There, they went their separate ways.
Walker's Role as Chief Guide
In 1845, Walker, along with his wife and followers, joined Frémont's third government expedition. They met at White River in eastern Utah. This expedition was heading for California and Oregon. Frémont had hired Bill Williams and Kit Carson, but Walker was chosen as the chief guide. Walker and his group had previously camped with one of the first U.S. army units to patrol the trails. Captain Philip St. George Cooke described Walker as a man of great natural ability. He was seen as resourceful and brave.
Walker led the main part of the expedition down the Humboldt River to Walker Lake. There, they met Frémont and a smaller group. Frémont's group had taken a more southerly route after leaving the Great Salt Lake area. The party divided again. Walker took the main group to the current location of Lake Isabella in December. Frémont and a small group crossed the Sierra Nevada near the Truckee River. They eventually reached Sutter's Fort in California. The two groups missed their planned meeting along the Kings River in the San Joaquin Valley. However, they reunited in February 1846.
Later Life and Gold Discoveries
In 1862–63, Walker led a gold-hunting trip of 34 men. They went into the mountains of central Arizona, near what is now the city of Prescott. The group found gold along the Hassayampa Creek and Lynx Creek. This discovery led to more white settlers coming to the area. The village of Walker, Arizona, is named after him.
Walker returned to his family's home, Manzanita Ranch, in Contra Costa County, California, in 1867. He died there on October 27, 1876. He is buried in the Alhambra Cemetery in Martinez, California.
Joseph Walker's Lasting Legacy
Many places are named after Joseph R. Walker, including:
- Walker Pass
- Walker Basin
- Walker Lake (Nevada)
- Walker River
- Joe Walker Town, California
- Walker, Arizona
See also
In Spanish: Joseph Walker para niños
